A “digital asset” is a data object that carries marketable information content. Thus, the term covers various multimedia files, including image files, audio files (e.g., music), audio-video files and the like. The term also may cover text files or data files, such as product reports, analyses, recommendations, etc.
Digital asset management systems, as their name implies, are computer systems that permit asset owners to manage their assets. For example, a digital asset management system may permit consumer product manufacturers (who manufacture an array of products) to manage their retailers' or advertisers' use of product images throughout advertisements and other commercial notices regarding the products themselves.
In known digital asset management systems, consumers' user experiences in browsing through and retrieving digital assets may be awkward and non-intuitive. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a digital asset management system that is easy to use.
There is further a need for protection of the intellectual property that digital assets represent. Digital assets may, for example, be sold among various participants in a market. The assets typically are sold in contracts that limit ways in which a purchasing party may use the digital asset. The rights associated with the aspect of digital assets as property must be protected, and the agreements that govern such rights need to be administered and observed.